The antichrist. How, then, do we fit the Roman Empire into this mix? Daniel 9:26 and a few other verses.

In the previous post, I referred to Daniel describing the statue, with the head of gold, to Nebuchadnezzar. He tells Nebuchadnezzar that he is the head of gold. Both the silver and the bronze are referred to as inferior kingdoms. Though history lends a hand and identifies the Persian empire (technically the Medo-Persian empire) and the Grecian/Macedonian empire initiated under Alexander the Great, we are not directly given the identity of the fourth empire.

Have you ever wondered why?

Is it possible that Nebuchadnezzar's act of turning his heart toward God played a role in the way God felt about the Babylonian kingdom under Nebuchadnezzar's rule? We see nothing in the other kingdoms that indicates a leader who followed after God.

Since the first three empires are closely chronicled and in rapid succession, why NOT the fourth empire?

Since legs cannot exist without thighs, it seems ridiculous to assume that there is not a continuous succession. Alexander's reign covered the belly and thighs on this statue.

What happened to cause the transition from bronze to iron?

Again, the scriptures do not tell us, but history does. 

Alexander died. 

So, if you insist on throwing out the argument, I do not believe we should concern ourselves with information outside the Biblical texts, then you should not accept that Alexander the Great even existed.

Wait a minute. Historically, we know that four generals were left contending for control of the empire. An obvious problem is that statues of humans don't have four legs. Daniel chapter 10, in a cryptic fashion, covers a great deal of this intrigue. In the end, only two generals are in charge of what is left of the Grecian empire's control of the Middle East—Seleucid in the North and Ptolemy in the South.

 As I pointed out, all these materials from which the statue is made have strength, but Iron has a brittle fragility. The iron goes all the way to the feet, where we see an unimaginable mix of iron and clay. The antichrist that we know will come on the scene comes out of these ten toes. Mixed, by the way, is the Aramaic word for Arab.

How, then, do we fit the Roman Empire into this mix?

The standard assumption emerges from Daniel 9:26.

“And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.”
Daniel 9:26 NKJV

Religious tradition makes the association with Titus Vespasian as the prince who came and “his” troops, under the Roman flag, destroyed the temple and the city in 70 AD. 

We arbitrarily assume that troops are “all” Italian Catholics (I am being facetious here) and that Titus gave the orders to destroy the temple. The problem when you choose to use Daniel 9:26 to answer your question is that you are choosing to IGNORE the historical record given by Josephus and Tacitus.

Josephus and Tacitus both recorded that:

• Titus was under a mandate from the Emperor to maintain peace.

  That did not happen.

• The majority of the Roman troops, at this time, were conscripted Assyrian troops.

  Some estimate that troops originating from Rome were 14% of the whole number.

• The Assyrians had an overt hatred of the Jews.

• It was the Assyrians who set fire to the temple and ignored Titus' orders to stop.

• The Assyrians continued with the slaughter of the Jewish people.

Prince is the Hebrew word nâgı̂yd/ nâgid and means a commander or a religious leader (think high priest); chief, governor, leader, noble, prince.

In most cases, Bible translators chose appropriate terms to fit the context of the sentence. Applying the title of prince to Titus because he is a commander makes sense.

The King James concordance only shows 47 uses of the word nâgı̂yd. The word translated as prince only happens 8 times, but none of them apply to this character that we will eventually call the antichrist.

Ezekiel has an indirect reference to the antichrist but refers to him as the prince of Tyre.

"Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Because your heart is lifted up And you have said, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods In the heart of the seas'; Yet you are a man and not God, Although you make your heart like the heart of God--”
Ezekiel 28:2 NASB

Consider these attributes assigned to the antichrist.

• Your heart is lifted up.

• You have said, I am a god.

• I sit in the seat of gods.

• And, you make your heart like the heart of God.

In Daniel 9:25-26, the term prince is used twice: once for the Messiah, the Prince (Jesus), and the other in verse 26, which we already discussed.

“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast [Roman Empire]--terrible, powerful and dreadful, and exceedingly strong. And it had great iron teeth; it devoured and crushed and trampled what was left with its feet. And it was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had ten horns [symbolizing ten kings]. [Dan. 2:40-43; 7:23.] I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things.”
Daniel 7:7-8 AMP

There is much ado about ten – empires, kingdoms, regions. 

This little one comes out of the ten horns/empires. 

Three of the horns - kingdoms are plucked up by the roots before this man's kingdom. 

And guess what? 

This little horn has eyes and a mouth speaking blasphemy against God.

If it is not the man himself with the eyes and mouth speaking, then it is a spokesperson.

It was Jesus who defined blasphemy for us when he told the scribes and Pharisees who were attributing His works to the devil that they were committing blasphemy.

So we can expect this man to tell all those that will listen, that God's works are Satan's works, but he may not openly say Satan, he might attribute God's words and actions to Allah.

Have you considered the names and attributes assigned to this man?

• The Antichrist (1,2 John)

  A poignant aspect of this conversation is the time frame in which John spoke these words. The entirety of the church was to have been on rapture watch since.

  1 John 2:22 NKJV  "Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son."

  1 John 4:2-3 CJB  "Here is how you recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges that Yeshua the Messiah came as a human being is from God,  3  and every spirit which does not acknowledge Yeshua is not from God—in fact, this is the spirit of the Anti-Messiah. You have heard that he is coming. Well, he's here now, in the world already!"

  2 John 1:7 CJB  "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, people who do not acknowledge Yeshua the Messiah's coming as a human being. Such a person is a deceiver and an anti-Messiah."

• The insolent king; of Daniel 8.

  Daniel 8:23 NAS95:  "In the latter period of their rule, When the transgressors have run their course, A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue."

  INSOLENT, a. Proud and haughty, with contempt of others; overbearing; domineering in power;

• the Beast of Revelation 13;

  Revelation 13:1-8 NAS95:  “And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore. Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.  2  And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.  3  I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;  4  they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"  5  There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.  6  And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.  7  It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.  8  All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.”

  • Since the antichrist is also referred to as the beast, and Revelation 13:1 describes “a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads,” then it is describing an overarching ruling body that has covered aspects of the earth since about 600 AD.

  • Who is the dragon? Satan.

  • What does the sand of the seashore speak of? First, all eschatology has Israel, or the land promised to Abraham, as the center of its focus. Since these sands have to do with the region of the Middle East with Israel at the center, then the sands represent the lands of the coastal regions of the Mediterranean and the people in general, or the Gentiles, but more specifically, the Islamic nations.

  • "Ten horns, seven heads... and on his heads were blasphemous names." Since we covered Jesus's explanation of blasphemy, then these kingdoms are such that they blaspheme God by their beliefs, teachings, and actions; in particular – an intense, undefinable hatred of the Jews merely because they are Jews.

  • Many will take this portion of Revelation 13,” I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast,” and apply it to the antichrist, it is NOT, it is a powerful ruling body. In 1924, such a powerful voice, the Ottoman Empire, had so angered the Mideastern world with its Islamic pirates that roamed the Mediterranean Ocean, capturing anybody who sailed those seas, taking them captive, and selling them as slaves on the Ivory Coast. Well, the wealthy shipping vessels and yacht owners shouted loudly enough for the saner world to take notice and take up arms against the Islamic Ottoman empire. In 1924, the empire was crushed, disbanded, and deemed illegal, or so the world thought. In a sense, “one of his heads was as if it had been slain.” The world, for about 20 years, thought that Islam, as a global threat, had been slain; in theory, the head had been slain.

  •  “And his (a kingdom or ruling body) fatal wound was healed. The healing came through the Muslim Brotherhood, which emerged primarily from Egypt in the 1940s and made a covenant with the Nazis. We, in modern history, also witnessed the resurrection of the Islamic Empire in 1979 with the capture of the American Embassy in Iran. After this 444-day event, the Caliphate was restored along with the Mullahs as leaders. “And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast.”Keep in mind in Revelation that this beast is not yet the man so many are looking for. Currently, “the whole earth” is following Islam, but in time, there will be a man to supposedly lead all of Islam in a particular direction; one of those directions will be a unified hatred of the Jews and their God.

  Revelation 13 shows us the same things that Daniel saw, and Daniel pleaded for an explanation. Perhaps we should pay attention to what Daniel was shown.

  Daniel 7:19-20 NKJV  "Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet;  20  and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.

  Daniel 7:21 NKJV  "I was watching, and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,

  This is the little horn, the antichrist, making war against the saints. Clarity moment: The church—followers of Jesus Christ—have already been caught up to meet Christ in the air. This is exactly what 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9 is talking about. So then, all the saints at this point are those who have accepted Jesus Christ since the church's snatching away.

  Those, coming to Jesus during this nightmarish time, will most likely lose their heads.

  Daniel 7:23 NKJV  "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces."

  The question you should be asking is, in what ways is it different?

  I will leave you to ponder that question on your own, but don't most kingdoms go to war to collapse conflicting kingdoms to obtain the benefits of more land, monetary gain, and titles that come from victories.

  Daniel 7:24 AMP “And as for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise; and another shall arise after them, and he shall be different from the former ones, and he shall subdue and put down three kings.”

  Here, in Daniel 7:23 – 25, we see an explanation that points to kingdoms.

  Why do Islamic nations go to war?

  To bring the citizenry of that land into ideological submission, where they bow to Allah and no other; oh sure, people will die, but that is a minor detail and the path for infidels.

  Daniel 7:25 AMP And he shall speak words against the Most High [God] and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change the time [of sacred feasts and holy days] and the law; and the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time [three and one-half years]. [Rev. 13:1-6.]

  “And he shall speak words against the Most High.” Who is being referred to as the Most High in this passage?

  Since everything we are studying is Israel-centric, the answer is the “Jewish” God. We believers know Him as Yahshua, the Messiah.

  “ and think to change the time [of sacred feasts and holy days] and the law,” Who is doing that as we speak?

  It is happening in the UK, and cities like Dearborn Michigan, where they have supplanted the population, slowly taken over the governing bodies, and initiated “lawful changes. They have also changed the laws to Sharia laws and inserted their own law-keepers.

  “ and the saints shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time.”

  The Amplified Bible explains this time period as three and a half years. That means that the antichrist will act like a moderate peacekeeper for the first three and a half years of this seven-year covenant of peace.

  But there is a problem, as Daniel 9:24 clearly states that 70 weeks, equaling 490 years, are decreed upon Israel and the Jewish people, in general.

  “Seventy weeks [of years, or 490 years] are decreed upon your people and upon your holy city [Jerusalem], to finish and put an end to transgression, to seal up and make full the measure of sin, to purge away and make expiation and reconciliation for sin, to bring in everlasting righteousness (permanent moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation) to seal up vision and prophecy and prophet, and to anoint a Holy of Holies.” Daniel 9:24 AMP

  Verse 24, without question, brings us to the end of all things outside of the eternal kingdom. As you can see in Daniel 9:26, there is a reference to the Messiah being cut off. Well, that happened, and yet the brakes, it would seem, got slammed down hard, for we have surpassed the 69^th week as we have waited for the 70^th week to begin. That final, somewhat missing week consists of seven years, give or take a few days.

  Daniel 9:26-27 NKJV  "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.  27  Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

  The assumptions are that he makes this covenant, but scripture never says that he does; he merely affirms an existing covenant, and the UN has stated, on multiple occasions, that they are affirming seven-year agreements.

  Another assumption is that he confirms this covenant with Israel; the problem with that thinking is that Israel is not mentioned; however, it seems as if there is a chronology here in Daniel 9:26 that indicates that his people (and they may only be his people because they are Islamic,) who are coming will destroy the city and the sanctuary, and therefore, this destruction, which can happen at any minute and may be happening as we speak. However, it is difficult to destroy something that is not built yet. My suggestion is that you keep your eyes on the Holy Land.

  What is the sanctuary?

  It is the final (the third) temple in Jerusalem.

  Look at Revelation 13: “And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.”

  Now compare this to

Daniel 7:4-6 NAS95: "The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.  5  "And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat!'  6  "After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.”

Very similar.

• the Man of Sin, or Man of Lawlessness, of 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12;

2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 NAS95  “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,  4  who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.  5  Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?  6  And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.  7  For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.  8  Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;  9  that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,  10  and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.  11  For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,  12  in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.”

• What is the “it” we see in 2 Thessalonians 2:3?

  “It” is the coming of Jesus to collect His bride, removing them from the earth and allowing for the antichrist to be released upon the earth, and the unleashing of God's wrath upon the residents still left upon the earth. Yes, the saints will still be impacted by God's wrath.

  If one only gives 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 a cursory read, they will encounter verse three, think that the apostasy, of the church in general, must still come first, and possibly believe that will never happen. Many people I have talked with still cannot see a problem with churches. We are performing homosexual marriages, aborting babies without regard, and having transgender reading hour performed by men dressed as women prepared to do a striptease act.

  Several years ago, a brother in Christ, in doing his doctoral thesis, found that the state church, the Catholic church of the 1500s, demanded that King James do a rewrite of the popular Geneva Bible and make it say apostasy instead of a departure, as so many people were leaving the Catholic church for Protestantism. The Geneva Bible reads like this: “Let no man deceiue you by any meanes: for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sinne be disclosed, euen the sonne of perdition.”

  If you paid attention to what you read in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, you would find that verses 7,8 clarifies any confusion by declaring that a departure of the church is necessary, as the church restrains the antichrist ( he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed,) and it will do so until he (the church) is taken out of the way, and then the wicked one will step forward. Until this happens, we will not know who this man is.

• Other titles for the antichrist, several of which we have covered:

  (1) "the king of Babylon" (Isa_14:4);

  (2) "the Assyrian" (Isa_14:25; +**Mic_5:5 note);

  (3) "Lucifer, son of the morning," in opposition to "the bright and morning star" (Isa_14:12);

  (4) "the Prince that shall come" (Dan_9:26);

  (5) "the king of fierce countenance" (Dan_8:23);

  (6) "the vile person" (Dan_11:21);

  (7) "the willful king" (Dan_11:36);

  (8) "the man of sin" (2Th_2:3);

  (9) "the son of perdition" (2Th_2:3);

  (10) "that wicked (or lawless) one" (2Th_2:3; Rev_13:18);

  (11) "the beast with ten horns" (Rev_13:1);

  (12) "the little horn" (Dan_8:8) [CB]. =1Ki_22:11, =Psa_75:10; =Psa_132:17, Isa_27:1, =Zec_1:18, **Mat_24:5; **Mat_24:15, 2Th_2:3-4, 1Jn_2:18; 1Jn_4:3. (The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury)

For many, by the time you read this, Jesus will have come back for His bride, the followers of Christ. He still holds out His arms for you. All you have to do is give Him your life and accept Him into yours.

Who are these people, because I see them everywhere in scripture?

Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams. His spirit was so troubled that his sleep left him. So the king gave the command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans(?) to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. And the king said to them, "I have had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to know the dream." (Daniel 2:1-3 NKJV)

Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation." The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, "My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap. However, if you tell the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts, rewards, and great honor. Therefore tell me the dream and its interpretation." (Daniel 2:4-6 NKJV)

Where is Daniel while all this is going on? 

Obviously, Daniel was not a part of any of these groups. Because of their attempts to save their lives, as they did not have answers for the king, everyone, including Daniel and the other three Hebrews with him, are under a death threat from a king that has demonstrated how serious he is about his decrees. 

Daniel goes before the king, buys a little time, and comes back with the dream and what it means.

Daniel answered the king, saying: “The mystery about which the king inquired is such that neither wise men, astrologers, magicians, or sorcerers can disclose it to the king. But, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar the things that will happen in the latter days. The dream and the visions that went through your head as you lay on your bed are these." (Daniel 2:27-28 TLV)

Daniel tells the king what the dream was.

“You looked, O king, and behold, there before you stood a huge statue—an enormous and dazzling image whose appearance was awesome. The head of that statue was of pure gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, and its feet partly iron and partly clay. While you were watching, a stone was cut out, but not by hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together and became like chaff from summer threshing floors that the wind blows away. Not a trace of them could be found. Then the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." (Daniel 2:31-35 TLV)

"Wherever mankind, beasts of the field, and fowls of the heaven dwell, He has given them into your hand and made you ruler over them all. You are the head of gold. “Now, after you, another kingdom will arise, one inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over all the earth. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron—for iron shatters and breaks everything—and just as iron smashes everything, so will it shatter and crush all the others. Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly potter’s clay and partly iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of the iron, for you saw the iron mixed with clay. As the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle." (Daniel 2:38-42 TLV)

• "You are the head of gold." The first kingdom in the equation. The head of gold is Babylon under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar.

• Now, after you, another kingdom will arise, one inferior to yours. The second kingdom in this equation is The empire of the Medes and Persians, whose union was denoted by the breast and two arms of silver, and which was established on the ruins of that of the Chaldeans on the capture of Babylon by Cyrus, B.C. 538.

• The third kingdom. The kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. The UCRT dictionary tells us that "The empire of the Macedonians, or "brazen-coated Greeks," aptly denoted by the belly and thighs of brass, founded by Alexander the Great, who terminated the Persian monarchy by the overthrow of  Darius Codomanus at Arbela, B.C. 331" To put this plainly, the Grecian Empire. This is not a quiz, but do you know who the remaining two generals were and what regions they controlled? Seleucid in the North and Ptolemy in the South.

• The fourth and what seems to be the final kingdom, represented as iron, which many believe to be the Roman Empire, does not show up until almost 255 years after the remains of the Grecian Empire. Considering the closeness of all the others in terms of time, bringing the Roman Empire into this dream seems odd at best. Biblically we are told about the Babylonian, the Medo-Persians, and finally, the Macedonians or Grecians, but nothing is said about the Roman Empire. Do you know what Empire causes the most grief and plays a role in affecting both the Seleucid and Ptolemaic Empires?  The Assyrians. Do you realize that one of the names of the Antichrist is the Assyrian? Yeah, we seem to ignore that aspect when we are ranting about how the Roman Empire will rise up again in the last moments of time. And, since the Assyrians have been so influenced by Islam, we ignore their potential through Jihad, of bringing as many as possible under the influence of Islam; hence, a global religion.

• Note: there is no mention of who makes up these toes of iron and clay, but it is obvious that there is an attempt at integration, which clearly fails. Do Sunnis and Shiites get along? Have paid attention to what Isis, coming from Afghanistan, is preparing to do to Iran as of 5/29/2023? They have threatened war over water, and they are backing it up with army tanks and heavy equipment.

Daniel 2:43 KJV And whereas thou saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

Notice how "they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men."

Mingle means to mix or combine. The word mingle and the word mixed are the same Aramaic (Strong's concordance calls this language Chaldean) word ărab. H6151 ‛ărab, enunciation: ar-ab'. (Chaldee); corresponding to H6148; to commingle: - mingle (self), mix. Total KJV occurrences: 4.

Seed: - z^era‛: An Aramaic noun meaning seed or offspring. This word is used only once in Dan_2:43 in the idiomatic phrase "with the seed of men" (KJV).

The question is, offspring of whom?

The Word Study Dictionary tells you this “This mixing of people with the seed of men is a reference to other people groups joining a community or nation.” The implication is that they are trying to join themselves to Israel, but that is not the case, and we see it going all the way back to Ishmael and Esau.

Just a short heritage listing from Ishmael begins to show you the beginnings of the nations.

Isn't it fascinating that Abraham was able to produce nations of Gentiles and then Jews? Just for the fun of it, here are the names of the twelve princes that came from Ishmael. Many have associated regions to go along with their names.

“These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations.” (Genesis 25:13-16 NKJV)

The firstborn of Ishmael, 

Nebajoth, and or Nebaioth. From Nebajoth sprang the Nabatheans, who inhabited Arabia Petraea (Petra.)

Kedar. From Kedar, the Cedreans, who dwelt near the Nabatheans. The name means darkness or dark-skinned.

Adbeel, Disciplined of God.

Mibsam, A fragrant, sweet odor.

Mishma, A report, a hearing.

Dumah, Silence. A town of Judah ten miles southwest of Hebron.

Massa, Gift; burden, a prophecy; enduring.

Hadar. More than 300 Manuscripts and printed editions read Hadad, as in 1 Chronicles 1:30.

Tema, South desert; Southerner.

Jetur. An enclosure; defense. The Itureans, who inhabited a small tract of country east of Jordan, which afterward belonged to Manasseh

Naphish, Refreshed; recreation; taking breath. :Note: These are evidently the same people mentioned in 1Ch_5:19, who, with the Itureans, assisted the Hagarenes against the Israelites, but were overcome by the two tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.” 1Ch_1:31; 1Ch_5:19. The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury

Kedemah. Eastward.

But they shall not cleave to each other. As you can see from the Amplified version below, they will not hold together.

Cleave is the Aramaic verb meaning to cling to, stay together, to adhere together.

"And as you saw the iron mixed with miry and earthen clay, so they shall mingle themselves in the seed of men [in marriage bonds]; but they will not hold together [for two such elements or ideologies can never harmonize], even as iron does not mingle itself with clay." (Daniel 2:43 AMP)

As you can see, the Amplified Bible implied that their mingling could be seen in marriages. This idea of marriage should have a familiar ring to it, as Balaam told Balak, the king of Moab, how to defeat Israel. Dr. J Vernon McGee points out that Balaam is mentioned three times in the NT.

"Balaam is mentioned three times in the closing books of the New Testament. In 2 Peter it is the way of Balaam. In Jude it is the error of Balaam. And it is the doctrine of Balaam in the Book of Revelation."

The Old Testament also helps to define what Balaam did.

"And Moses said to them: "Have you kept all the women alive? Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor..." (Numbers 31:15-16 NKJV)

In spite of God's clear admonition that Balaam should NOT speak a word against Israel, he did so by telling Balak how to destroy them subtly by bringing in foreign women, and they would cause the children of Israel to collapse from the inside out.

In relation to these people who mingle with the great sea of people are words from Ecclesiastes.

"And I discovered (something) more bitter than death, the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her." (Ecclesiastes 7:26 NASB)

This takes us back to Daniel, where the mixed have but one intention, to destroy from the inside out.

What does that mean to us? 

They start with small demands, then they get themselves voted onto your governing bodies - like school boards and city councils. They then begin to change the rules and laws to suit their ideological teachings. Some call this a religion. All of this is Jihad to the group of people I refer to, the Islamic religion. 

Did you know that the followers of Islam, under the guise of the Ottoman Empire, almost overtook the world?

Thankfully, the British were able to squelch and, in a sense, deliver a mortal wound to the Ottoman Empire in 1924 by forcing them to disband and making the empire illegal by international agreement. While the "civilized" world began rebuilding after WW1 and enjoying the Roaring 20's, the Ottoman Empire, shortly thereafter, began reorganizing under the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. 

Did you not notice that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey has, on several occasions, espoused that he would resurrect the Ottoman Empire?

(AMP) “And as you saw the iron mixed with miry and earthen clay, so they shall mingle themselves in the seed of men [in marriage bonds]; but they will not hold together [for two such elements or ideologies can never harmonize], even as iron does not mingle itself with clay.”

All this should have a familiar ring to it if you have read about God's promise to Abram/Abraham. Abraham, in an attempt to move God's plan along, at the prodding of his wife, produces a child, Ishmael.

“ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.” Genesis 17:20

Does anybody want to venture a guess as to who that nation is?
If you said the Arab nation(s) are descendants of Ishmael, then you would be right.

I can hear the religious as they say, how dare you speak in that manner?

Look at what the Strong's concordance says about the simple word “nation.”

Nation is the Hebrew word gôy or gôyim. It is a masculine noun meaning nation, people, Gentiles. a foreign nation; hence a Gentile. This noun is also used to describe anyone other than Israel, whether they be pagan, Gentile, or heathen.

The term Goiim, to my understanding, is a very negative word applied to outsiders.

My thoughts.

Daniel was given the interpretation and perhaps the understanding; that alone should move the context into an Israeli, or at the least a Middle Eastern one. Regardless, you should never read the Bible without considering the context of God's people and the promised land.

Some may say that the dream was meant for Nebuchadnezzar exclusively and, therefore, should be seen as one that is primarily a Babylonian context. The problem with that thinking is how quickly the story moves off Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians and onto the Medo-Persian Empires and then the Grecian, and that the Babylonian empire, though a conquering one, was also one that protected and helped to develop God's people.

In trying to convince you that the narrative is about global rule, many have tried to argue that the statue shows us the Roman Empire. In pushing that argument, they ignore that the Grecian empire, during the time in which they conquered the Holy Land, was under the command of Alexander (one man) the Great. Sadly, he died, and the kingdom was divided four ways (between four Generals). That did not last long and ended with two Generals ruling a somewhat divided kingdom, with Seleucid in the North and Ptolemy in the South (Egypt.) I can easily see then how the thighs of bronze and legs of iron would continue to represent the Grecian empire to a degree.

But what happens when I get to the feet of this statue?

Historians tell us that the two remaining Grecian generals clashed with each other for control. In the North, the Assyrians - the same violent people group that gave us the Ninevehites, that Jonah was sent to with a message of destruction. The Assyrians, also known as Chaldeans, were part of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian Empires; they also joined with the Egyptians in the South to fight against Israel. The Assyrians, descendants of Ishmael and Esau, are an integral part of the events we are seeing in the Middle East and news related to Israel today.

See how that sort of ended there, and it worked without including the Roman Empire, which also had two branches or legs to it. If you must insist that the Roman Empire is glued to Daniel's explanation of the statue because of Daniel 9:26, then I suggest that you pay attention to the role that recorded history plays in this belief.

Josephus, (the Jewish historian that worked for the Romans), told us that Assyrian conscript troops, with an open and violent hatred of the Jews, even though they knew that their punishment would probably mean their death, disregarded commands from Titus to cease their actions and destroyed Herod's temple primarily to obtain the gold that was melting and running between the cracks. They did not know that they were fulfilling prophecy and showing us what was to come.

But what do we do?

We follow religious traditions and loudmouth teachers who tell us that because Daniel 9:26 was fulfilled in 70 A.D., while Jerusalem was under the control of Roman soldiers, tells us that, “the people of the prince that is come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” are going to be a part of the Roman empire, once again. These teachers will convey to you that they don't need to pay attention to Josephus or Tacitus (a Roman historian) because these "people" were doing all this damage under the Roman flag, and the coming actions of the followers of the Antichrist can be blindly attributed to the Roman Empire and, therefore, indicative of the Antichrist and the followers of his global religion.

I added global religion as the scripture tells us that they “worship” the beast – the antichrist; and, because of this term “worship,” that there will be a global, unifying religion.

Worship means nothing close to my grateful, heartfelt love for the Father because of what He has done for me through Jesus' death and resurrection.

Thayer's concordance gives us this.

"Worship is to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence. Among the Orientals, especially the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence. And, in the NT (worship is shown) by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication. And finally it is used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank."

In many of these instances, the alternative is often death for non-compliance.

The understanding that I apply to the Roman empire, unlike the others, is that it is NEVER specifically mentioned in the narrative about the giant statue, and this is a narrative that effectively takes us all the way out to the catching away of the church and the entrance of the antichrist - a leader that will have an influence on the Islamic nations.

"Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly potter’s clay and partly iron, so this will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of the iron, for you saw the iron mixed with clay." (Daniel 2:41 TLV)

"A kingdom, undefined by previous pattern. The word kingdom in the Hebrew is malku and means a rule or dominion.” WSD

What do we have that looks like that?

Islam. They have had, in the past, a caliphate; a central leadership - ruling authority, and many are desperately trying to reestablish the caliphate that rules over the world with Sharia law.

So, you may have picked up on a problem. 

We have two groups of people trying to control the world; the filthy rich and followers of Islam. 

Seeing as the rich have already demonstrated their desire and ability to control and kill off much of humanity, you might think that they will win. Not quite so fast. It is obvious, from scripture, that they will quickly kill off 1/4 of humanity with their vaccines and contagions, but at the three-and-one-half-year mark, the false prophet will switch teams and align himself with Islam, the beast, and Sharia law. Jesus told us, about this time, that the killing will be so great that if God does not stop it, no one will be alive on earth.

I hope you can understand that the best time to pledge your allegiance to Christ is now, before the catching away of the Church. Scripture tells us that the antichrist will be revealed very shortly after the church is gone. If you are here at this point, you can still come to Jesus. Just know that just about everyone not on your side will be trying to kill you.